Champagne

I was four years old when I had my first clue that you could pair food and wine for anyone at any meal, and I was lucky enough to learn this from a master. It was many years ago, and we were the quintessential All American Family: Mom, Dad, and two tow headed kids piled into our car on a tour through France, discovering the joys of French food, wine and culture.

One bright spring day in the Champagne region, we visited the Pol Roger Chateau in Épernay. As we entered the sunlit foyer, an impossibly elegant woman in Chanel greeted us. She spoke for a few moments on the phone: “The Americans are here”

Bollinger — The Champagne Of James Bond In GoldenEye

James Bond, legendary hero of fiction and film, is devoted to the Crown and to his cup of Bollinger Champagne. Just as Bollinger has been awarded the Royal Warrant by seven British monarchs since 1884, so has Bond pledged his loyalty to Bollinger. For more than four decades - since Ian Fleming penned his first James Bond, Agent 007 thriller in 1953 - Bond has enjoyed his Bollinger Champagne.

Most champagne is made and sold by Champagne houses or négociants-manipulants. Not named after vineyards as in other winegrowing regions of France, they are known by commercial names. By far the most powerful of these is Moët & Chandon, which accounts for almost twenty-five percent of all export sales. Moët & Chandon is owned by the giant L.V.M.H. (Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy) which also owns Pommery and Veuve Clicquot. Combined, these four houses represent almost 50% of the export market.

Serving champagne with style — removing the cork quietly, cooling the wine to right temperature, and to keep it in the glass and off your guests — is not a natural gift. It requires a little dexterity, concentration, and a good dose of practice.

Champagne should be served in long-stemmed flutes or tulip shaped glasses. These are designed to enhance the flow of bubbles to the crown and to concentrate the aromas of the wine. Never chill or ice the glass as it would take away from the enjoyment of the wine. Incidentally, since the surface texture of crystal is rougher than ordinary glass, more bubbles form on these glasses.

What one drinks champagne out of has often been dictated by fashion. The champagne coupe or saucer-shaped glass, while very popular, was never designed for drinking champagne. It is unstable and does not allow you to fully appreciate the benefits of the wine. There is a legend that it was modelled from the bosom of Marie-Antoinette. Hugh Johnson states that this is not entirely without foundation. "The Sèvres porcelain factory did take a cast from this august model and produced four detailed white bowls that were mounted on elaborate bases of three goat's heads to adorn the Queen's Dairy Temple at the Château de Rambouillet near Versailles. The dairy still exists; as does one of the four coupes."

The heart of the Champagne region lies 90 miles (145km) northeast of Paris near the Belgian border. It is generally divided into three parts – the Montagne de Reims, the Vallée de la Marne and the Côte des Blancs. The Aube, 70 miles to the southeast, is important for wines they produce that go into many of the nonvintage blends of the major champagne houses.

Of the regions 75,000 acres of vineyards, most and the greatest vineyards of Champagne, are planted in the département of the Marne. The vineyards are not owned by great landowners but by thousands of growers, often working part-time.

Champagne has launched thousands of ships, toasted billions of weddings and special occasions, flutes attended countless parties, and shared untold special moments between two people.